Editor's note: For the next three weeks The Ratings Race will come to you in downsized form. David Dale, who normally edits this blog, is working overseas. Kerry Coleman, his replacement, will publish daily ratings figures and approve comments, but won't be able to research extra questions. We hope readers talk amongst themselves on this blog until David's return on October 18, when you'll see "Tribal Mind replies" start to appear again at the end of comments.

LATEST COMMENTS

Well done AFL, even against a prime time TV slot, no Syd team in the AFL GF, the AFL Grand Final still out rated the NRL GF which had everything going for it.

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Redb

Posted by: Redb on October 1, 2007 11:40 AM

Looks like the NRL enjoyed some great ratings around the country this this year, and not far from the AFL figure at all. The ratings figures for Adelaide and Perth are actually okay, considering those Capitals don't have teams. Good work Channel 9 for showing it live nationally.

Posted by: Dan on October 1, 2007 12:35 PM

The reason why the AFL GF beats the NRL GF in tv ratings every year is because the AFL is a national competition whilst the NRL is not.

Posted by: Russ13 on October 1, 2007 1:01 PM

Interesting that The NRL GF Viewers in Melbourne were 25% [250,000] down on last year. Thatís exactly the same decrease in viewers for the swans when they were in the 2006 compared to 2005. That BANDWAGON FAN is well and truly alive in OZ.

If the NRL GF was every going to out rate the AFL GF this was the year.
This tells you another thing that Adelaide and Perth enjoy Rugby League as much as the Horses in NSW enjoy the Equine influenza.

Posted by: Peter on October 1, 2007 1:09 PM

Read the figures and weep tribal mind.
The AFL once again reigns supreme. The NRL had all its stars aligned this year and still could not manage a victory. I think the NRL is going backwards, they cannot take on AFL or soccer as a national code, they will get slaughtered. Their product just does not appeal, it's all hype.

Posted by: Rob on October 1, 2007 4:01 PM

Amazing how the game couldn't even get more than 1 million in Sydney in Prime time for an event this size.
As for Adelaide and Perth, you would get higher ratings for a blank screen. The live experiment for SA and WA will not be repeated.

Posted by: Ryan on October 1, 2007 4:41 PM

When the Regional TV figures are added the NRL GF audience should be in the order of about 300,000 more than the AFL GF audience Australia-wide.

This is because 2 million or so more people live in RL strong holds than live in the southern states.

Posted by: Dan Mikeo on October 1, 2007 4:54 PM

A difference of about 150,000 fans in 2.5 million hardly makes AFL a clear cut winner, worthy of being called a national sport.

National...hmmf...If AFL was national the whole nation would have been talking about it yesterday, whereas a lot of us east coasters apparently didn't care. It shouldn't matter that the swans and lions aren't in the GF if you claim your sport to be national.

Cricket is our only national sport, followed arguably by soccer. They are the only two sports that would attract consistent viewer figures between all the capitals.

Posted by: Dan on October 1, 2007 5:15 PM

Ryan, 220,000 AFL viewers in Sydney (a city of over 2 million) is a much worse rating result than Perth or Adelaide for the NRL. Maybe a blank screen could have been subsituted there too.

Dan Mikeo, i agree with you. I wonder how many viewers watched the NRL grand final in Newcastle, Wollongong, and Canberra. I'm sure they would add up to an extra million, but they don't count in the ratings results for a some strange reason. I smell a conspiracy.

Posted by: Dan on October 1, 2007 5:38 PM

The ratings are very good for the NRL. As mentioned by another, the NRL picks up a lot more viewers in the country than AFL through WIN.

The AFL ratings in Sydney and Brisbane were only OK likewise the NRL ratings in Adelaide and Perth.

Posted by: El Busto on October 1, 2007 6:45 PM

A difference of about 150,000 fans in 2.5 million hardly makes AFL a clear cut winner, worthy of being called a national sport.
Posted by: Dan on October 1, 2007 5:15 PM

of course its a national sport 'dan', the audiences were still ok in syndey and qld, and both the afl and nrl easily outrate the domestic soccer and cricket. what the heck!

Posted by: riceyy on October 1, 2007 6:56 PM

The rating in brisbane with no team playing was great...

The rating in melbourne dropping 25% is disappointing

the rating in sydney with a population of 4.2 million is abysmal

Posted by: rick on October 1, 2007 7:26 PM

You will find that the NRL outrated the AFL grand final by about 500,000 once the regional viewing figures are included.

The metropolitan figures only account for about half of NSW and QLD but include about 80% of Victoria.

Posted by: Kris K. on October 1, 2007 7:53 PM

"When the Regional TV figures are added the NRL GF audience should be in the order of about 300,000 more than the AFL GF audience Australia-wide.

This is because 2 million or so more people live in RL strong holds than live in the southern states."

This is often stated by rugby fans but is a myth. The same ammount of people live in regional areas in the footy states (everywhere but NSW and Qld) as the north-eastern states.

Footy is played everywhere from inner city Melbourne to the mud of Tassie to the Tiwi islands to the outback of WA... that is why it is called the national game compared to rugby.

Posted by: malec on October 1, 2007 9:34 PM

Many Aussie Rules fans are worried about the NRL. This year the NRL had fantastic ratings, slightly under the ratings figures for the Aussie Rules. Sydney had just under a million viewers because a few hundred thousand went away for the October long week end. They watched the game elsewhere. So I figure the NRL would have been well and truely above the Aussie Rules. NRL, Great game, Great Hype, just simply awesome.

Posted by: Abe on October 1, 2007 9:48 PM

In fact NRL is international. I would like to see New Zealand ratings included in the total.

Posted by: bobmar28 on October 2, 2007 7:05 AM

On the off chance that anyone is interested in a sensible discussion over the ratings for the AFL and NRL GFs, I have a theory that part of the reason for the drop-off in viewing figures in various areas is that it is becoming increasingly popular for people to hold bbqs, parties etc. to watch these games. Not sure how the ratings system deals with such things but given the relatively small sample size it would only take a few households to change their viewing patterns for the day (i.e. watch at friends house who isn't part of the panel) for the overall audience figures th change markedly. Not sure how the Oztam people meters would deal with having lots of people wandering around a household either.

Just a theory.

Posted by: Kurt on October 2, 2007 9:13 AM

A. The football season is over boys - may it not only bring the end of footy on tv for four months but a dramatic reduction in Danny Weidler sightings as well!!

B. Does anyone know what episode of Alias 7 have reached?

Posted by: Cat on October 2, 2007 10:21 AM

I gotta agree, the NRL this year proved it is not going forward.

Even with a low quality game the AFL rated higher (plus it was over 3 hours as opposed to 2 for the NRL).

Also as mentioned previously, the fact it was on at 2pm on a Sat arvo rather than 7pm on a Sunday night only leaves one wondering what figures the AFL could achieve if it chose the same timeslot...

But it didnt so who cares. And to Dan Mikeo, sorry but the 'regional' veiwers wont help the NRL, they never do. You underestimate the pull of AFL in regional parts of the country.

Posted by: Mat on October 2, 2007 10:25 AM

This is a TV blog, not a sport blog.... enough of the NRL vs AFL

Posted by: JB on October 2, 2007 10:32 AM

NRL is an amateur competition by AFL standards and could never be called a national sport. Crowds below 10K are unheard of.

Also, the Melbourne NRL team did win the GF this year and again, not a dent in the media, just over 1 thousand supporters turned up yesterday to celebrate with their players.

Aussie Rules is a national sport even if the competition (AFL) is not. Aussie Rules players have been coming out of all states since before the Brisbane and Sydney franchises were introduced. Rugby league can't say the same, with 0 players coming out of Victoria for example.

Aussie Rules is a national sport.

Posted by: Chris on October 2, 2007 11:28 AM

The biffo is finished, as it should be here. Long live the thwacko. Not that I actually watch any sport.

Posted by: tafkao on October 2, 2007 12:02 PM

Hey boys, move over to a Sports blog will you! Who cares whether AFL or NRL reigns supreme!

This Blog is supposed to be about TV programs not which boof heads can belt the crap out of each other better than the other.

Footy season is over.

Posted by: em on October 2, 2007 12:02 PM

Thank you JB, I concur totally!! Enough AFL -v- NRL!! It's a pointless argument that you will never agree on.

Posted by: Beckala on October 2, 2007 12:11 PM

Record ratings for City Homicide last night. Good to see an Aussie drama up there with huge ratings.

Posted by: J Bar on October 2, 2007 12:29 PM

"Does anyone know what episode of Alias 7 have reached?"

About the tenth, though I've skipped about half of the eps shown on tv.

Posted by: arthur on October 2, 2007 12:29 PM

Anyhoo ... as this is a TV blog. Must say that I have been enjoying City Homicide. Good to see some Aussie TV that is well written. Much better than Blue Heelers on a Boat, I have never seen more wooden acting (maybe it's because wood floats better??

Posted by: Nic on October 2, 2007 12:42 PM

Re - NRL vs AFL. It can be twisted any which way. No doubt the NRL is affected by screening on the long weekend. No doubt the AFL is National, but the care factor in Sydney & Brisbane is low. Similarly, the interest in the NRL in Melbourne is low. AFL will never be international, and rugby league will be limited in this regard also. And by the way, stop calling "rugby league" "rugby". Two different sports. If you want to group them as one, lets add viewers and participants together. Be content with your sport of choice and move on.

Posted by: roddersp on October 2, 2007 12:45 PM

Interesting on the Regional debate Re NRL/AFL. Gelong is the only AFL team not based in a OZTAM mainland capital city. NRL has Newcastle, Townsville, Gold Coast, Canberra, Illawarra. I'd bet audiences in all these centers would be much higher for NRL than AFL finals.

Also feel nien has done an injustice to itself by NOT showing NRL regularly in all states at a reasonable time. It is through watching the game regularly that you begin to understand it, follow it, discuss it with your peers and be interested in tuning into the grand final.
More NRL for ALL Australian cities ALL next year. (you cant expect to perform well at the game if you dont do any training before-hand).

Looking forward to the RL international in a couple of weeks.

L

Posted by: leonard on October 2, 2007 1:15 PM

Hello all - have just returned from a month's camping holiday with no TV (or ironing) and more importantly, no TM blog!!! What have I missed ... apart from the footy grand finals only because I cleverly timed my return to civilisation after all that chest thumping was over.

Thought Four Corners was very interesting last night - gee I have nearly forgotten how to type.

Posted by: Shoopie on October 2, 2007 1:19 PM

TM/ Kerry Coleman

Could you tell us how the season return of Weeds on Nine went last night?

I have to hand to these U.S cable shows, they really are well written and offer us something different.

For reader - viewers who missed Paris Hilton's David Letterman show appearance (as it was on Ten on Monday night - Tuesday morning rather late), it can be seen on the link below. We all know Paris is a moron, but she's still a person and Dave's behaviour was rather silly and inconsiderate ; then again PH had to expect it would be and was foolish to have appeared, or should've waited at least another 12 months before doing so.

Ch 7 certainly has Monday nights wrapped up - the top rating show in every slot from 6pm until 1030pm, going by those figures. The closest Ch9 gets is the 6pm news, 280K viewers behind 7.
With DWTS adn All Saints tonight, Ch7 could well have Tuesdays nailed down too.

I think I should point out that Channel Seven beat Channel nine by 240k viewers in Perth alone, so most of the difference is really due to the West and there is not such a huge gap with the East Coast 6pm news.

Posted by: Sarah on October 2, 2007 3:40 PM

With all the bloodletting at Nine, does anyone know how the programming director, Michael Healy was able to keep his job. The last few years at Nine have seen the most breathtakingly incompetent, anti viewer programming decisions in the history of Australian network television. With the foolhardy statement earlier this year that Nine is keeping its best stuff for H2, things are destined to further deteriorate and wither under his watch. He's been with Nine for 25 years - does that make him a scared cow or is there simply no one else? Admittedly there is an element of luck in the job as Tim Worner at Seven will attest but viewers simply no longer trust Nine. Have CVC bought a lemon? What will David Gyngell do?

Posted by: Cable on October 2, 2007 3:42 PM

Paris Hilton deserves everything she gets - I just saw the David Letterman interview and I thought he was too weak - she wants the celebrity status but with that comes the good AND THE BAD!!

This social nitwit gets convicted for reckless behaviour - gets sent to jail (and rightly so) gets let out early and despite all her confessions from her cell (about doing more good and less partying) goes virtually straight from jail to a nightclub when she got out - go figure!

Madam Hilton deserved everything she got on Letterman - even though it was a weak interview - as well as having no class she has no brains - I would love to see her on Parkinson or Enough Rope - even though that's never going to happen - then she'd know what a grilling was!

BTW STILL LOVING DAMAGES - BEST DAMN SHOW ON THE TELE AT THE MO!

Posted by: grant james on October 2, 2007 3:47 PM

I think if Weeds were on any other channel besides Ch9 it would do much better. The majority of Ch 9's audience (over 60's) would not appreciate this show. I never watch Ch 9 and had no idea it was on (only found out through The Age website). None of my friends, who also love the show knew it was on, as none of them watch Ch 9 either. The series that Ch 9 are showing now was on last year and the third series started in America a month or so ago. Ch 9 should get with the program and stream shows at the same time as America show them like Ch 7 and 10. Actually better still they should give it to a channel that will treat it properly. I have already downloaded and watched them as most fans of the show would have so no wonder it rated so poorly.

Posted by: vanessa on October 2, 2007 4:01 PM

Shoopie wrote:Hello all - have just returned from a month's camping holiday with no TV (or ironing) and more importantly, no TM blog!!! What have I missed ... apart from the footy grand finals only because I cleverly timed my return to civilisation after all that chest thumping was over.

I thought Ch Nein had you 'taken out' quietly during APEC when they thought no one would notice. The ABC shop is selling "Free the Chaser 11" t-shirts and I was thinking we might have needed to add "and the TM blogger" as a p.s.

Well Shoopie what you have missed is that apparently there are two games that both call themselves footy whose sole purpose seems to involve arguing endlessly over which game is the more important. Ch Nein will turn it into a reality show soon to ensure we get no peace even in the off season. Oh yeah and TM has gone anchovie shopping in Italy.

Posted by: Cat on October 2, 2007 4:23 PM

Why are most of the people on this blog are constantly ripping apart channel 9, when the quality of content of channel 10 is as bad if not worse than 9 ? In all the NRL vs AFL debate, nobody has noticed that the ratings for Idol is sinking like a rock ...

well done channel 10 ..... another hit for you ....

Posted by: Randwick Geoff on October 2, 2007 5:13 PM

nobody has noticed that the ratings for Idol is sinking like a rock ...

well done channel 10 ..... another hit for you ....

* Posted by: Randwick Geoff on October 2, 2007 5:13 PM

I'd dare say that Idol will rebound next week with no NRL Grand Final being shown.

Although from the look of it last night the "unplugged" round looked pretty poor.

There seems to be too many of the rock guys (they all have the shaggy hair, the stubble).

Another thing - Nien seems to be copying SBS & ABC. First that "Farmer needs a new wife" show (which SBS did a similar show a few years back) and now Dirty Jobs which seems to be a cheaper non-historial version of Worst Jobs In History.

And something else (this is getting to be a long post) - the always wonderful Shaun Micallef has his new show in years on SBS called Newstopia starting Wednesday week at 10pm.

Hopefully Micallef can do news satire better than Molloy. To me, his style of humour is smarter than Molloy's so it should be better quality.

Posted by: Earthquake on October 2, 2007 6:37 PM

I just finished watching the first episodes of the new season of DH and B&S. DH is definetely back to its fine form, but its B&S that surprises me. It really is a top notch drama, and Sally Field is just fantastic in her role. Cant wait till next weeks episode!

Posted by: John on October 2, 2007 8:31 PM

Randwick Geoff asked: "Why are most people on this blog constantly ripping apart channel 9, when the quality of content of channel 10 is as bad if not worse than 9?"

It's not so much the content that sucks with 9 - it's the way they treat the content. Constantly changing schedules, pushing shows back to later timeslots, ripping shows off after 2 weeks and replacing them with crap...

Posted by: Tonksy on October 2, 2007 8:39 PM

Randwick Geoff posted: Why are most of the people on this blog are constantly ripping apart channel 9, when the quality of content of channel 10 is as bad if not worse than 9 ?

Because Channel 10 aren't claiming they're "still the one". Plus, they have the rights to quality programs like Sopranos, ER, Weeds etc and they screw over the audience time after time.

Posted by: Beckala on October 2, 2007 8:40 PM

What's the deal with the ads on Californication? Anyone else noticed how Ch10 chucks a set of ads in the middle of a conversation, sometimes mid-sentence?

Welcome back Shoopie, your insightful comments were missed. If you're wondering, TM is getting the crate of anchovies for me. And a Ferrari. Any colour.

Randwick Geoff, I'm sure if you review previous weeks blogs that you'll find that there is a great amount of Ch10 aka Ch Teen aka Ch Shirley McEnroe hatred. The disgusting treatment of Torchwood. The stuffing around of Smallville, Battlestar Galatica and Veronia Mars. Don't get us started.

I suspect that Idol was only down this week because of the NRL GF combined with the long weekend. It was madness here down on the South Coast and WIN ratings are not included, which is interesting because they're almost becoming the 5th Free-To-Air with such a large population coverage.

Posted by: Bereft Skerrick on October 2, 2007 10:00 PM

Cat in answer to your question re Alias - Arthur was not quite right. The final season has 16 episodes only - last weekend 7 showed the 13th ep - there are 2 remaining.

Note Nein has both Gilmore Girls & Joan of Arcadia back on Sunday arvo - for those of us not interested in watching cars go round a track, albeit Bathurst.

Second everyone calling for the end of AFL & NRL discussions now - we can wait till next year..

Am happy House & Heroes back this week and seems vibe from US re Bionic Woman and Life is reasonable.

Have to say as one home on hols at moment daytime TV is very miss... if anyone put anything of quality on FTA (other than kids shows and I am bit long in tooth for that) would be miracle - not that I am staying home to watch, weather too nice to stay indoors.

Posted by: Cathy on October 2, 2007 11:11 PM

Does any one know why channel 7 was off air for 15 mins in Melbourne during sunrise????

Posted by: Don on October 3, 2007 7:34 AM

I too have returned from a lovely break away (no footy, no aerial ping-pong, etc.) - and I have to agree with the comments about City Homicide - it's doing well.
My only issue is with Aaron Pedersen (?) - he is too one-dimensional in his acting ability & very wooden.....he hasn't improved since Water Rats days.
I'm really looking forward to the premiere of Life tonight on Ch Teen. Has anyone heard any reviews on this from US?

Posted by: AJ on October 3, 2007 9:27 AM

Except this is the second week in a row that Idol's ratings have been down. Maybe the rot really - and hopefully - has set in.

I wonder if Nine News could soon find themselves coming third behind the ABC?

Posted by: andy on October 3, 2007 11:15 AM

Yes, Australian Idol is also down this week, maybe it'll be back upn next week with the footy now over.

Don, you should call SEVEN melbourne on 9697 7777 to answer you're question about "Sunrise".

Bereft Skerrick, I agree that "Torchwood" should have been shifted, perhaps to at least a Saturday night timeslot before being shoved to Wednesday mornings @ 12am. "Smallville" is now on @ 6.30pm Saturdays & hopefully enough people will watch it to not warrant it to be taken off again. "Veronica Mars" should've already started screening again as it would be under my own programming on Sunday nights after "rove" (or if it didn't work - 10.30 Fridays after "The Shield".

Posted by: cpandilo on October 3, 2007 1:33 PM

Don't get too excited. Footy season finishes just in time for cricket.

Posted by: Not a Cricket Fan on October 3, 2007 1:44 PM

I noticed that both Numb3rs and Californication have national viewers below 850k, would that mean TEN would move them to midnight in the next few weeks? If they could do that to Torchwood, surely these shows are vulnerable?

Posted by: ozboy1999 on October 3, 2007 2:06 PM

Well, the AFL regionals are 870k including Tasmania.

The NRL regionals will be around the 1.3 million mark. (SOO was around 1.2 million x3 games)

So much for the regionals not helping the NRL GF eh Mat?

Totals;

AFL 3,442,000.
NRL 3,689,000.

Posted by: coop on October 3, 2007 2:16 PM

Quoth ozboy1999 on October 3, 2007 2:06 PM: "I noticed that both Numb3rs and Californication have national viewers below 850k, would that mean TEN would move them to midnight in the next few weeks? If they could do that to Torchwood, surely these shows are vulnerable?"

Torchwood had worse ratings than that (didn't it get down to about 600K towards the end?). I think these shows will be around in prime time for a bit longer yet. (I hope so, at any rate. I don't want to have to chase Californication around the TV schedule!)

Looking forward to the new Shaun Micallef show tonight, thanks for the reminder, Earthquake!

Posted by: tqd on October 3, 2007 3:28 PM

Does any one know why channel 7 was off air for 15 mins in Melbourne during sunrise????

Posted by: Don on October 3, 2007 7:34 AM

Don - it happened in Sydney too. From about 7.05am I believe...

Posted by: anna on October 3, 2007 3:40 PM

Not to poke holes in your theory about how the regional figures help out the grand finals, but just think which areas are calculated in the regional figures: Regional Qld, NSW, VIC and TAS.

Two NRL states, one AFL state and one entirely neutral state. Of course more people are going to watch the NRL regionally than the AFL in those states.

Posted by: Samuel on October 3, 2007 4:06 PM

Lisa Wilkinson said her goodbyes on the TODAY SHOW this morning saying she was going on three weeks leave to see the Rugby World Cup. Half her luck but given TODAY'S twindling ratings and rumours Gyngell's wife Leila McKinnon may be returning to co-host I would have thought a 3 week break may not necessarily be a wise move - think Jessica Rowe and her leave and then boning!

I'm glad Georgie Gardner is warming the seat while Wilkinson is away - she's one of the most relaxed people on television and has a touch of class about the way she presents - would be more than happy to see her co-host the morning show - as for Karl Stefaboring - well my views are pretty well out there about him!
BONE! BONE! BONE!

I saw one of the cheapest attempts by Nine to sell 30 minutes of television the other night - some thing called JUST FOR LAUGHS -it was hosted by some Australian nobody but was rehashed overseas candid camera footage without the sound - they couldn't use the sound because all the footage was from Europe and not in english - there wasn't one Australian clip - yet the Australian host standing in an Australian landscape thanked everyone for taking part in the program. The entire 30 minutes would have cost Nine $2 dollars to screen yet the advertisers included telstra and McDonalds.

East money if your Nine and you can get it. Not sure how this rubbish rated but who cares!

Posted by: grant james on October 3, 2007 4:17 PM

The only reason why the AFL GF outrates the NRL GF is because regional NSW and QLD are not counted. Regional NSW and QLD is about twice the size of Adelaide and Perth combined and it is totally ignored by ratings. Regional NSW and QLD have more persons and represent about 1/4 of Australia's population and this is recognised by the presence of 5 NRL clubs in regional NSW and QLD, whereas AFL franchises apart from Geelong are all in state capitols. Anybody calling the AFL a national competition compared to the NRL are fooling themselves and ignoring Australia's population distribution. The AFL is just made to look pretty on paper as a consumer product, the NRL is a genuine football competition that represents the people ahead of the dollars.

Posted by: The Truthful Messenger on October 3, 2007 4:24 PM

Coop, please, I'm begging you, no more footy talk or I will be forced to bring out the heavy artillery and start a discussion on Great-aunt Dorrie's recipe for boiled haggis or her cure for piles - well, the same thing really. Either that or it's knitting patterns!

Hey Cat, I heard about the stunt pulled by the Chaser boys at APEC at some little remote outback pub did it actually go to air?

Ah Bereft - I can see you now - tooling around the Sth Coast a la Sophia Loren (only much younger) in your red (is there any other colour?) Ferrari with a serious case of Fish Breath!!

Accidentally caught 5 seconds of Surprise etc last night with Jackie Omigodwhatwasshewearing with Karl and for a split second he looked almost alive! Compared to Karl Aaron Pederson looks frantic. Gee, Cat, I'm worried now - Ch Nein could be monitoring me - thank God I don't live in a nursing home!

Posted by: Shoopie on October 3, 2007 5:42 PM

Just because David Gyngell is coming back to Nine, doesn't mean his Mrs (Leila McKinnon) will be made to replace Lisa. It'd reek of nepotism and be unprofessional for David to appoint her, plus it'd also be rather disastrous for Nine, with all the hassles they've had on that show. Lisa could sue Nine for breach of contract, as she signed on to do that show and they'd have to pay off her contract. Plus I doubt Leila wants a job requiring her to get up at 3.30 am.

Posted by: Kat on October 3, 2007 6:05 PM

To the reader viewers who've been citing tbe disastrous programming choices Nine have made, I'd agree 100 %. This is reflected with Entourage show actor Adrian Greiner being in the country to currently promote the 4th season of that HBO series on Foxtel. Nine were incredibly stupid (as they would've had first pick to have taken the Entourage show up, via their output deal with HBO) to have passed on the show, which would've done well if it was slotted at a 10.30 or 11 pm timeslot.

Posted by: Steven on October 3, 2007 7:00 PM

Wow Earthquake, you bring joy not destruction! Shaun Micallef has a new tonight show next Wednesday? Praise be to the flying spaghetti monster! I'm sure the ratings he'll get on here will be equivalent to what he got on the commercial channels, which will mean a hit for SBS!

I noticed an ad for Sarah Murdoch being back on Today tomorrow morning. Coincidence? I think not!

And I totally agree about the unoriginality of Ch Nein and their new shows. It's one thing to steal show ideas from shows we've not seen here, but to steal from well known shows already shown on Oz TV?

Plus caught this morning Steven "mini Daryl Somers" Jacobs doing "dangerous stunts" on for 2 minutes of The Today Show that I was unfortunate to catch. A copy of Grant "Inappropriate Comments" Denyer being a stuntman on Sunrise?

Posted by: Bereft Skerrick on October 3, 2007 7:06 PM

What do you guys reckon of Nine's move of putting the Singing Bee on 6.30pm Sundays?

I for one thinks its a stupid show, but the competition from the other networks (Australia's Best Backyards and Australia's Next Top Model) are a little thin, so I'm guessing it'll rate. Here hoping it doesn't though. =D

Posted by: Joan on October 3, 2007 7:35 PM

If you want to add regional into it feel free to, that was someone's statement not mine, and in this case it may have worked out in the NRL favour. It is apples and oranges though because in NSW and QLD many places are counted twice due to 'groupings' (Gold Coast).

However, as stated by someone else, all the stars were aligned for the NRL to smash the AFL this year (night time GF, 2 most populated cities being represented, etc... vs. regional team in Geelong and hated team Adelaide (crows supporters HATE port), Saturday afternoon) but it still lost the big 5 markets.

Anyway, ratings are sketchy at best and a real wet finger in the air. Me, I will accept more people watched the NRL if you wanna add regional figures, but what do you win?

Posted by: Mat on October 3, 2007 7:37 PM

"The AFL is just made to look pretty on paper as a consumer product, the NRL is a genuine football competition that represents the people ahead of the dollars.

Posted by: The Truthful Messenger on October 3, 2007 4:24 PM "

That is the most hilarious statement I have heard all week, and I have the comedy channel.

How can a sporting competition be "genuine" and "represent the people" when its half owned by a multi billion dollar US corporation?

Not to mention that its a blue collar English game, with a flashy, hyped up American style.

On another note, I'm looking forward to the Shaun Micallef show next Wednesday. It should be awesome.

Posted by: Thanks for the Laugh on October 3, 2007 9:46 PM

What does ABC's 'Insiders' rate? (Sunday 9-10am)
Want to get some idea of how many political tragics there are.

Posted by: James on October 3, 2007 10:32 PM

if rugby league really is the most popular football code in australia (which is rubbish) it makes their crowds look even more embarrassing

Posted by: rick on October 3, 2007 11:36 PM

The potato heads are back. For fans of the "Classic" Dr Who episodes one of the great old villians will appear in the next season - The Sontarans! I am looking forward to seeing what they can do with the potato heads with CGI.

Posted by: Cat on October 4, 2007 9:17 AM

"Alias...The final season has 16 episodes only - last weekend 7 showed the 13th ep - there are 2 remaining."

Wow only two eps remaining? No wonder when I read the plot summary of the upcoming ep it looked quite tense!

Must remember to tape it then!

Posted by: arthur on October 4, 2007 10:20 AM

Shoopie wrote: Hey Cat, I heard about the stunt pulled by the Chaser boys at APEC at some little remote outback pub did it actually go to air?

Yep and it rated its arse off. Deservedly. That stunt was the best thing that happened in a way too long week. And if Ch Nein do take you just claim you were agitating for Gyngell's return and you forgive them their appalling treatment of viewers, i.e. lie.

Posted by: Cat on October 4, 2007 10:56 AM

Decided to give House/Life a go last night (can download Chasers and Summer Heights from their websites) - and was pleasantly surprised by both.

House scored great ratings - but am dismayed that Life will probably be shifted to the graveyard or boned altogether.
(I am assuming it got less than 1m).

Oh well - I'll continue to watch both to see where they lead.

p.s. sure hope Jesse Spencer didn't get paid for last nights episode. His efforts were very low key ha ha.

Posted by: bettestreep on October 4, 2007 10:57 AM

Hi Kerry,

How did prisonbreak do? It's a tough timeslot to go well in up against Summer Heights High and Life (which follows House). Doesn't help that Las Vegas isn't rating strongly ...

Good grief, if that many people are watching "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" than the answer is obviously a great big fat NO!!!

Also, it is now official. I have just been nominated for the title of grumpy oldish woman simply because I object to the word "grader". In my day they were called classes or years not grades. On that note I will finish and go and tat some lace - I did warn you boys.

Posted by: Shoopie on October 4, 2007 11:05 AM

Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed Rove's 5th Grader last night. It had a nice touch of fun and the pace was quite good. I was expecting it to be more like Millionaire, with slow, drawn out questions etc.

Summer Heights High again brilliant, Chris Lilley is such a talent.

And I'm not going to weigh in about NRL v AFL. It's a pointless discussion.

Posted by: cronk on October 4, 2007 11:23 AM

ENOUGH WITH THE FOOTBALL TALK!! Noone is going to win, the only people who are interested are the people involved in the argument, the rest of us have made several requests asking that if you wish to have an NRL -v- AFL argument you kindly go and join a SPORTS blog. This is a TV RATINGS blog. We talk about ratings of tv shows. NOT which game is better.

Please, i'm begging...

On that note, interesting to see House back at the top of the ratings for a Wednesday. Maybe this'll encourage Channel 7 to fast track Grey's too (which I'd love them to do, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm also not waiting until next year, so thank you to the person who put FanPop links on the site - I very much enjoyed watching episode one of Greys. Didn't enjoy Private Practice as much - my god they've turned Addison into a bimbo. If they wanted to do a show like that, why not bring in another character for a few weeks in grey's, then they leave for the Private Practice, rather than having a beautiful, strong intelligent woman turn into a dithering bimbo?!)

Anyway, enough ranting. Back to my holiday marking.

Posted by: Beckala on October 4, 2007 11:44 AM

Looking forward to the new Shaun Micallef show tonight, thanks for the reminder, Earthquake!

Posted by: tqd on October 3, 2007 3:28 PM

Err yeah sorry tqd it's next week not this week. I guess we could get into the whole argument as to what is "this Wednesday" versus "next Wedneday" but yeah, it's on next week.

But if you did switch on the telly you would've caught Broken News which is a fantastic show.

I saw the Fifth Grader show last night and while I liked the format and thought the kids were great - the host didn't suit the show.

Russell Gilbert would be more suited as the host of the show than Rove.

While bagging out Nien before about their rip-off of other networks, I'd like to congratulate them on continuing to show Comedy Inc.

While I'm sure there are devious motives behind it (the fact that sketch comedy can be counted towards Australian drama hours which must be shown on the network), it's good to see that they are still developing Australian comedy.

Unlike Ten who has decided to treat The Wedge with contempt and not renew Ronnie Johns (IMO the best comedy show of last year).

Posted by: Earthquake on October 4, 2007 12:04 PM

whats happened to the ratings for McCleods Daughters?? i havent seen it in the top 15 for the past few weeks.. is it rating that bad now?

Just because David Gyngell is coming back to Nine, doesn't mean his Mrs (Leila McKinnon) will be made to replace Lisa. It'd reek of nepotism and be unprofessional for David to appoint her, plus it'd also be rather disastrous for Nine, with all the hassles they've had on that show.

Posted by: Kat on October 3, 2007 6:05 PM

Agree with the nepotism point entirely Kat - but Nein reeks of that as well, think Karl and Peter Stefanovic - Peter Overton and Jessica Rowe!

I'm hoping Gyngell will make his staffing moves based on viewer feedback and loyalty to the network - when Nein had a good stable of reliable and friendly faces they were Number One - then they got rid of most of their talent (think Leibmanm, Waley even Don Burke) and replaced them with talentless, narcisstic nobodies who took the network nowhere - let's hope if he re-employs presenters that he thinks long and hard about who he puts in front of the camera.

As for Leila McKinnon - despite the nepotism I think she would be great - her and Steve Liebmann in the morning would be a solid refreshing combination....and they're both experienced!

Posted by: GJ on October 4, 2007 12:43 PM

I didn't dislike 5th Grader as much as I expected to. I thought the kids would be cringe-worthy, but they are actually quite nice. Shoopie - nowadays they are all called "years" - but don't think they could call the show "...smarter than a 5th yearer". Doesn't roll off the tongue. Interesting that the show's creater is Mark Burnett. Caught Life - it was really good. Damien Lewis is a great actor, even though he is putting on that U.S. accent. Looks like Prison Break is now dead and buried.

Posted by: JB on October 4, 2007 12:55 PM

I agree, JB - I thought Life was excellent - although from the ratings figures I don't hold much hope for it continuing in this timeslot.
On another note, I think the adult contestants on the 5th Grader had to pass a "dumbness" test. Honestly, where is this country heading if the average Aussie can't answer these basic questions!
And on yet another note, the best thing about the end of the footy season is the hiatus for the various footy shows....ahh sheer bliss!

Posted by: AJ on October 4, 2007 1:54 PM

When I was in Canada a few years ago, Paris showed up on Letterman again. He called her a prostitute to her face. The audience laughed, but she had no clue what he said.

I haven't seen the clip on youtube (no sound on the pc), but it couldn't have been as bad as the last time she was there.

Anyway whatever he said, she probably deserved it.

Posted by: Killer Bees on October 4, 2007 2:35 PM

To all those people complaining about the AFL / NRL debate I have couple of things to say.

Firstly, of course it's a pointless argument that noone with ever win, but the same could be said of 99.99% of all blog-related activity world-wide so that hardly seems a valid criticism.

Secondly, the argument is not about which sport is intrinsically better, but rather which gained better TV ratings on the weekend, which I would have thought puts it firmly within the scope of this blog.

And finally it's not like you people are discussing solutions to world hunger, the war in Iraq etc. You're having impassioned arguments about whether or not Greys Anatomy should start at 8.30 as advertised or 5 minutes later, which crappy network is going to buy the latest crappy show from the US, the timing of ad breaks in Californication etc. etc. So give us AFL / NRL guys a break, it gives us something to do during the quiet times at work.

Posted by: Kurt on October 4, 2007 3:02 PM

I saw 5th Grader. Lame, lame, lame. But anything that Rove touches turns to shite anyway. And who was that mouthbreather that was on last? Talk about hamming it up for the camera. What an idiot. I suppose he figures if he gets bumped off the show, at least he had his 15 mins of fame. Tosser.

I loved Life. Interesting premise and the detective guy was a little screwy as you would expect him to be considering his predicament. I'm looking forward to be thoroughly entertained in the coming weeks.

It's also nice to see new House episodes, although the quality of the film seems to be grainier than previous seasons. I hope they don't go with the wobbly camera schtick. I'm tired of it and it hurts my eyes to watch it. The clean crisp look they've always had serves them better and will keep me a loyal fan.

Posted by: Killer Bees on October 4, 2007 3:12 PM

Quoth Earthquake on October 4, 2007 12:04 PM: "Err yeah sorry tqd it's next week not this week. I guess we could get into the whole argument as to what is "this Wednesday" versus "next Wedneday" but yeah, it's on next week."

Yeah, I realised when I got home and perused the TV Guide. No biggie, at least I wasn't torn between what to watch and what to tape! I rather enjoyed Life last night, and will probably be popping back for more next week. (Or at any rate, until it gets boned, as its ratings aren't that crash hot. It lost 50% of House's viewers! Ouch.)

And shoopie, I shall join you in a discussion of knitting patterns to try and stave off the footy discussions. (Argh! Find yourselves a sports blog, dammit!) I can't tat lace however, but I'm willing to learn.

Woot to the return of Heroes tonight! And I'm damned curious about Bionic Woman, it was such an icon of my childhood.

Posted by: tqd on October 4, 2007 3:47 PM

Hey Shoopie, glad you figured out that I'm younger than Sophia Loren. Sadly not younger looking though - have you seen her lately?

Posted by: Bereft Skerrick on October 4, 2007 4:59 PM

5th grader was so crap. those questions are NOT first grade questions.

all it is are kid genius' vs. normal adults.

Posted by: anna on October 4, 2007 8:02 PM

Was it just me or was The Bionic Woman totally irritating and fustrating? What a pathetic, ungrateful cow Jamie Sommers is. She is saved from certain death yet has nothing but contempt for the fine folks responsible for her new vastly improved form. With a little attitude adjustment we should get her here to clean up the criminal filth in south west Sydney.

Interesting few comments today (eg Joan) - do we all secretly WANT channel nine to fail? I tend to agree though that inflicting Mr Fatone on us is a cruel, cruel joke but there's no accounting for taste in ratings land.

Posted by: Oscar Goldman on October 4, 2007 9:39 PM

I watched the last 35 mins of Life and really enjoyed it. Had to watch SHH and recorded Damages (which has gone down to one ep a week now). Can anyone fill in the blanks for the first 25 mins. I figured he got some sort of settlement for wrongful incarceration and has bought an amaxing house etc. What other fillers were we given.
Re Fifth grader, think Rove and the kids are great but the format is too slow still - Rove is dragging it out Eddie style.
Watched House and damages tonight and they were both excellent. House was hilarious.

Posted by: Jane B on October 4, 2007 10:51 PM

Looks like Ten's a little worried about the ratings for Idol. The latest ad almost begs people to tune in on Sunday - which will supposedly be "unmissable" - and carries an excerpt from a Sunday Telegraph review raving about the singers.

Posted by: Fielding on October 5, 2007 11:21 AM

How did Heroes do last night?

Posted by: cpandilo on October 5, 2007 12:14 PM

Whichever way you look at it, 7 wiped the floor with the competition last night. 3 good Non Reality programs.

Ghost Whisperer, Bionic woman, and heroes, all watchable programs - and most importantly large audiences.

A lesson to both 9 and 10 - dont scrimp on the money, play quality content, and the audience will come back.

Marketing 1-one-1 .....or perhaps Marketing for dummies !!!!!

Posted by: Randwick Geoff on October 5, 2007 12:25 PM

I watched Bionic Woman last niht and it was pretty enjoyable viewing last night. It offers something different from the daggy thursday we were offered last week from Seven. Also Heroes was pretty fine too. Channel Nein must be pretty disappointed with the Sea Patrol Season Finale rating only at 1.2 million. Didnt it start with 1.9 million?
Wonder what Channel nein are going to fill the 8.30 time slot next week?

Posted by: Adam on October 5, 2007 12:26 PM

Tonksy re: Californication add breaks - TM said that it is a half hour show in the US (it's on cable) and so doens't have commercial breaks. Channel 10 has to stick them in wherever they can fit them..

Bionic Woman - don't think I'll be watching again. She decides to see how far she can jump by jumping between two bulidings? Why not just see how far you can jump along the ground? Sam results - less chance of falling to your death!

Posted by: TeeVee on October 5, 2007 12:27 PM

Totally unimpressed by Bionic Woman last night. Mr Skerrick that every time she ran it wasn't accompianied by the (you have to say it quick thought) dun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n noise.

Master 6 is in 1st Class and some of the questions for "1st Grade" are stuff he does at school - long A sound anyone - but I doubt he'd know what a CTRL-S is to save his life!

Posted by: Bereft Skerrick on October 5, 2007 12:31 PM

Gyngell has started making changes. No longer will Temptation be rested, instead it will air Tuesday to Friday at 7pm.
The "new" Millionaire will air Mondays for 80 minutes with a total prize of $5m, and viewers will be able to win cash too.

Posted by: cronk on October 5, 2007 12:43 PM

I found Bionic Woman thoroughly engaging and enjoyable. It looks promising in terms of interesting stories and characters.

The character Jamie's reactions to the Biotech people were totally understandable given the trauma she was subjected to. Also nice to see a much loved UK actor make the big time in Hollywood.

Posted by: Josh on October 5, 2007 12:47 PM

I agree Fielding. This year's finalists are a weird bunch; they all look the same to me! I enjoyed watching it last year but Dicko turned me off this year. I dont understand the decision to include him; help the talentless perhaps?

Posted by: rudey on October 5, 2007 1:14 PM

Hmmmm. Bionic Woman. I just can't handle the fact that a TV icon from my childhood has been resurrected - It's way too dark, IMO, and I think will die a bionic death after the first season, despite some interesting casting. It seems that everyone who has had a show axed in the last year has a role in it, eg: molly from Third Watch and the guy from Crossing Jordan. I think it will always be the Lindsay Wagner version for me - and I think that a few of us who remember the old version tuned in for curiousity's sake - that now being satisfied, and from word around the office today, it lacks the charm of the original.

Posted by: AJ on October 5, 2007 1:25 PM

So give us AFL / NRL guys a break, it gives us something to do during the quiet times at work.

Posted by: Kurt on October 4, 2007 3:02 PM

Kurt, what do you mean by the quiet times at work? Either you are failing the Number One Rule of always looking busy or you are Bert Newton's publicist.

So tqd, what did you think of the Bionic Woman? I missed the first 5-10 mins so I am totally in the dark re the bloke in gaol etc. Must say that if she doesn't stop all that pouting then she will trip over her bottom lip.

Yes, Bereft, I have seen Sophia Loren lately ... or at least a botoxed person purporting to be SL. Why can't women age gracefully and cover themselves with a nice tatted lace headscarf or even a handknitted balaclava... moss stitch looks good in this style.

Posted by: Shoopie on October 5, 2007 1:26 PM

Fielding said: "Ten's a little worried about the ratings for Idol. The latest ad almost begs people to tune in on Sunday - which will supposedly be "unmissable"

Keep in mind this is the same network that tells us Life is the show 'taking America by storm', even though in the US it got ordinary ratings and even more ordinary reviews...

Posted by: Tonksy on October 5, 2007 1:57 PM

Hi KC. Could you please tell us how Nine's 9:30pm hour went last night? It was a combination of Sea Patrol (Melb/Per), RPA: Where Are They Now (Syd/Bris) and the Magarey Medal Count (Adel).

Thanks in advance. And thanks for keeping us up to date while TM is away.

Posted by: Samuel on October 5, 2007 2:17 PM

5th grader was so crap. those questions are NOT first grade questions.

all it is are kid genius' vs. normal adults.

Posted by: anna on October 4, 2007 8:02 PM

I agree that 5th grader was crap, but if those were normal adults, you have really got to worry about society.

Posted by: Simo on October 5, 2007 3:43 PM

That singing bee looks like the
most lame-ass program nein has had
since that crappy one where nongs
dressed up as the favourite star.
As for idol, they all sound like
a local pub karaoke night, they
must be scrapping the dregs by now.
That daily terror reviewer is definitely tone-deaf...

Out of the top 10 I only watched 2 ABC news and the 7 30 report,ie in WA Stateline, I read a book while it was on rather have Red Kerry 5 days a week.
Why anyone watches CA and TT has me beat,as for the rest you gotta wonder,to me most of it is an insult to your intelligence.

Posted by: John Ryan on October 6, 2007 9:46 AM

RE: KillerBees " Anyway whatever he said, she probably deserved it"

That's the brilliant thing about the recent Paris-Letterman interview. Dave didn't say anything directly, it was all passive aggressive with his faux-sincerity. Unlike the infamous Letterman appearances by Cher and Madonna (they're on youtube), Paris is too dimwitted to put up a defence. Whatever her people was told, Letterman was always going to ask about prison. She probably should've appeared on Leno.

PS: Letterman is screened on C10 (after the UST from Sully and McEawn). That's where I caught up with the interview.

Posted by: canoli on October 6, 2007 1:05 PM

How depressing it was on the weekend with no Dr Who. :(

With the end of the NRL season not much of anything on free to air TV for this little black duck to watch as I think most of it is rubbish or unappealing.

Posted by: JLH on October 8, 2007 12:38 PM

New Tricks on ABC Sat night is excellent viewing. Great to see ABC won the night with it. Though I suppose that wouldnt be hard as Sat night is pretty dismal on FTA.

I highly recommend New Tricks to you JLH! It might not be Dr Who (or even close) but it is still great value entertainment, well acted and well scripted.